Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Like diamonds in the sky? Public perceptions, governance, and information framing of solar geoengineering activities in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Published inEnvironmental politics, vol. 33, no. 5, p. 868-895
Publication date2024
First online date2024-01-11
Abstract

Solar geoengineering (also known as solar radiation modification) is garnering more attention (and controversy) among media and policymakers in response to the impacts of climate change. Such debates have become more prominent following the first-ever field trials of stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI) in 2022. How the lay public perceives solar geoengineering remains unclear, however. We use nationally representative samples (N  = 3013) in Mexico, United States, and United Kingdom to examine public perceptions of risks and benefits, support, and policy preferences. We also employ an information-framing design that presented individuals with media-style reports on SAI activities differing along three dimensions: location, actor, and scale and purpose. Support for SAI is found to be generally higher in Mexico; perceptions of risks and benefits do not differ between countries. Information about SAI activities has a limited effect. There is evidence that activities conducted by universities receive more support than those by start-up companies.

Keywords
  • Climate change
  • Global South
  • Governance
  • Public perception
  • Solar geoengineering
  • Stratospheric aerosol injection
Affiliation entities Not a UNIGE publication
Funding
  • European Commission - GENIE: GeoEngineering and NegatIve Emissions pathways in Europe [951542]
  • European Commission - ENABLING AND LEVERAGING CLIMATE ACTION TOWARDS NET-ZERO EMISSIONS [101056873]
Citation (ISO format)
BAUM, Chad M et al. Like diamonds in the sky? Public perceptions, governance, and information framing of solar geoengineering activities in Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In: Environmental politics, 2024, vol. 33, n° 5, p. 868–895. doi: 10.1080/09644016.2023.2301262
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accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Journal ISSN0964-4016
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32downloads

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